Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 239

Kang Jin-ho sighed softly.

Choi Yeon-ha really seemed to have no intention of leaving, as she was still holed up in the staff lounge. Even though he wasn’t really paying her any attention, she was quite content entertaining herself.

Taking selfies, playing phone games… it was as if being alone was her daily routine. She didn’t seem bothered at all by Kang Jin-ho’s lack of interest.

Unable to watch any longer, Joo Young-gi entered the lounge and asked,

“Do you always have this much fun by yourself?”

“Yes.”

Choi Yeon-ha replied nonchalantly.

“Someone like you, Choi Yeon-ha, must have a lot of people wanting to hang out with you?”

“I don’t.”

“…Why not?”

“I don’t know? Strangely, I don’t have many people I’d call friends. When I was young, I didn’t have the chance to play with kids my age because of filming, and now that I’m older, no one approaches me.”

“That sounds like a sad story…”

“Ah, don’t get me wrong. The reason I’m good at being alone isn’t because of that, it’s more like an occupational hazard. On set, we often get left alone for about six hours until the next scene. I got used to entertaining myself during those times, and that’s how I ended up like this.”

Joo Young-gi nodded as if he understood.

Indeed, from watching entertainment news programs, it seemed that celebrities often spent their time in vans parked near the filming locations.

In Joo Young-gi’s mind, it was hard to believe that lead actors would be left alone for six hours, but if that’s what she said, what could he do?

“Is that how you usually spend your time?”

“No. I usually sleep.”

“…”

“But if I sleep too much, my face gets puffy and looks terrible on camera. So, I have to reduce the swelling, and the way I do that is…”

Joo Young-gi grimaced as he watched Choi Yeon-ha explain her know-how for reducing facial swelling.

‘Is this woman really a bit of a pushover?’

Even Joo Young-gi, who had practically no interest in the entertainment industry, had heard of Choi Yeon-ha. Yet, here she was, acting so silly. It was shattering his illusions about the entertainment world.

‘Well, Eun-young is completely different from how she appears on TV too.’

Shaking his head, Joo Young-gi opened his mouth.

“But why are you here like this?”

“I have some business with Kang Jin-ho.”

“…You said you were going to make him a celebrity, right?”

“Yes.”

Choi Yeon-ha nodded with wide eyes, and Joo Young-gi sighed.

“Look, as a friend who knows Kang Jin-ho pretty well, I want to give you some advice.”

“Yes?”

“Being a celebrity… well, it’s a job that requires a certain ‘spark,’ right?”

“That’s usually the perception.”

“But the Kang Jin-ho I know doesn’t have that spark. In fact, he’s so extremely boring that it’s a problem. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Choi Yeon-ha nodded without replying.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit much to try and drag someone like that into the entertainment industry?”

Choi Yeon-ha smiled faintly.

“Who do you think knows this industry better, you or me?”

“Well…”

When Joo Young-gi hesitated to answer, Choi Yeon-ha smiled subtly.

“Of course, it’s good to have that spark. It would definitely help you survive in this industry. But Kang Jin-ho doesn’t need that kind of spark.”

“Because he’s handsome?”

Choi Yeon-ha hesitated, unable to answer.

“That’s it!”

“Ah, no, wait a minute. That’s not all there is to it.”

“It seems like it is?”

“It’s not!”

Choi Yeon-ha’s face flushed slightly. Of course, it was undeniable that Choi Yeon-ha was trying to debut him because Kang Jin-ho was handsome.

Even if Kang Jin-ho was a god of acting, if he didn’t look like that, Choi Yeon-ha wouldn’t have been interested.

Generally, good acting shines when a good production, a good director, and luck align.

But Kang Jin-ho had the power to make all those things seem insignificant.

‘However, that’s not all there is to it.’

Choi Yeon-ha recalled the scene Kang Jin-ho had filmed. She had gone out of her way to find the dubbed version to see how his acting would look on screen, and the feeling was simple.

‘It’s going to be a sensation.’

It was a truly precious moment where she could newly realize how much influence sound had on the atmosphere.

The moment that awful monotone reading was removed, Kang Jin-ho even erased her from the screen.

That overwhelming presence was something that even the young actors currently leading Chungmuro [the Korean equivalent of Hollywood] couldn’t even dream of imitating.

Kang Jin-ho was naturally exuding an atmosphere that only actors who were considered to have reached the pinnacle of acting could barely achieve, just by standing there.

“Try to persuade him. I’m telling you, that guy is going to be a hit. Then he won’t have to do this pizza place anymore.”

“…He doesn’t have to do this even now.”

“Huh?”

“No, never mind.”

Joo Young-gi shook his head and continued.

“Then try to persuade him properly. Why are you just hanging around here?”

“Persuasion doesn’t work on him.”

“All I’ve learned in that industry is how to read people’s moods. How nasty will this director be, how sly, will they sexually harass me, and how should I deal with it…”

“You’ve been through a lot.”

Choi Yeon-ha chuckled and continued.

“After living while only thinking about those things, I think I’ve developed some ability to understand people? And from what I see, that guy is someone who can’t be persuaded.”

“…Wow, you’re good at reading people.”

“If you try to reason with him, he’ll just pretend to listen, if you yell at him, he’ll come back even stronger, and he’s not the type to be swayed by acting cute, and the ‘honey trap’ won’t work either…”

“Hmm…”

“The only way that might work is to pitifully cling to his pants leg. At least, he’s the type who can’t be too harsh to someone who looks pitiful?”

“You could plant bamboo in him?” [A Korean expression meaning to be persistent and annoying]

Choi Yeon-ha nodded.

“If I come on too strong, I feel like I’ll get slapped, but if I come on too weak, he won’t even pay attention, so all I can do is just keep clinging and whining. That’s why I’m doing this.”

Joo Young-gi couldn’t help but fall into serious contemplation.

Is this woman smart or stupid?

Her ability to understand people was shockingly high, but the conclusion was a bit strange.

“Do you think Jin-ho will change his mind if you do that?”

“The chances are slim. But isn’t it better than doing nothing?”

Joo Young-gi felt that the premise of this conversation was very strange.

“But is Kang Jin-ho worth it? No matter how I think about it, he’s not the type to succeed as an actor?”

“People usually can’t make objective evaluations about those around them.”

“So, what did the director you filmed with say this time?”

“He told me never to show my face in this industry again.”

She really is stupid.

“Don’t you have any pride as an actress?”

“Pride?”

Choi Yeon-ha tilted her head as if she couldn’t understand.

“Do you have pride in delivering pizzas right now?”

“W-well, I don’t.”

“Then why should I have pride? It’s just a job, after all. I don’t think there’s anything particularly different about being an actress.”

Choi Yeon-ha was practicing the idea that there is no high or low in jobs in a different way.

“I think that pride in a job shouldn’t be expressed in that way, but by doing your best in your work. In my opinion, doing my best in my job right now is bringing that Kang Jin-ho guy as my co-star.”

“Even if Jin-ho says he absolutely won’t do it?”

“He will. I’ll keep clinging until he does.”

Joo Young-gi turned his head weakly.

“Did you hear that?”

Kang Jin-ho, who was passing by, lowered his head.

“Seeing such a pretty lady doing this for you… well, I can’t tell if you’re a lucky guy or just incredibly unlucky. Anyway, you better figure it out.”

“…Okay.”

Joo Young-gi patted Kang Jin-ho’s shoulder and headed to the restroom.

“No…”

Just as Kang Jin-ho was about to say something, his phone started ringing.

Kang Jin-ho took out his phone, looked at the screen, and frowned slightly.

‘What’s going on?’

The name Kang Eun-young was displayed on the screen.

As soon as Kang Jin-ho answered the phone, a sharp and loud voice came through.

[Oppa! Aaaaaaaaah!]

Kang Jin-ho’s expression instantly hardened.

Kang Eun-young’s voice wasn’t playful. It was a voice filled with genuine fear.

At the same time, along with thumping sounds, Kang Eun-young’s piercing screams echoed through the phone into Kang Jin-ho’s ears.

“What’s wrong!”

[Oppa! Here! Here! Kyaaaaaaaaaaak!]

Along with the ear-splitting sound of a car horn, there was another loud thud, and a jumble of rough curses were pouring in from the side.

Kang Jin-ho listened to the sounds quietly and then spoke to Kang Eun-young.

“Eun-young, where are you…”

Click.

But before he could finish his sentence, the call was cut off. Kang Jin-ho stared at the disconnected call for a moment and then turned his head.

“The filming location?”

“…Yes?”

“I’m asking where Eun-young’s filming location was today.”

“Ah, it’s, S-Sokcho.”

Choi Yeon-ha stuttered without realizing it.

The Kang Jin-ho she had seen so far was a gentle man on the outside, even though he might have a cold dagger hidden inside. The way he treated Kang Eun-young, and the way he treated her, was like that.

He was close to a typical ‘soft on the outside, strong on the inside’ type, a pushover who didn’t say harsh things to people.

But the current Kang Jin-ho was like a completely different person.

The way Kang Jin-ho was glaring at her with a slightly distorted face was enough to make a person’s heart pound just by looking at him.

It made her body tremble and her toes curl up.

Kang Jin-ho threw his apron onto the table and turned around. Joo Young-gi and Park Yu-min had already rushed over and were looking at him.

“Do you want us to come with you?”

“No. I’ll go alone for now. Just take care of things here.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

Joo Young-gi nodded, and Park Yu-min opened his mouth urgently.

“Eun-young will be okay, right?”

Kang Jin-ho didn’t answer and walked towards the entrance.

“Jin-ho, just in case, I’ll contact Manager Jo. Answer your phone.”